Abstract:

In my speech, I would like to present the model of preparing master's implementation theses in the humanities and social sciences, which was developed, tested and implemented at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University in 2017-2019. This model is a good example of commercialization of learning outcomes already at the student’s level. It is also a good practice in the field of cooperation between the university and the broadly understood socio-economic environment.

In the introduction to the 2015 publication entitled "Commercialization of knowledge. A Handbook for Scientists”, we read: The commercialization of research in the twenty-first century becomes the main engine of economic development. Regions that have the ambition to be at the forefront of global innovation and attract economic leaders place emphasis on activities facilitating the transfer of technology from research centers to enterprises as one of the priorities of regional policy . A few years earlier, Kazimierz Denek, an outstanding Polish scholar, wrote: More and more often we meet the opinion that a modern university should strive to skillfully reconcile market logic and public mission (by providing research products, expert products and educational services). This compromise is known as the theory of academic capitalism. It expresses the conditions for integrating education (including the university) and the market economy […] The commercialization of knowledge and the commercialization of educational results are more and more often discussed at Polish universities. Therefore, I consider it extremely important to present this topic on an international forum.

The above-mentioned model of preparing master's implementation theses was developed as part of the project "Model of Increasing the Employment Opportunities of Graduates of Humanities and Social Sciences and Changing the Attitudes of the Social and Economic Environment to Their Professional Potential" based on a similar model observed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim.

In the testing phase, the model consisted of the following elements:
1) The system of cooperation between the department and the social and economic environment;
2) Internet platform;
3) Program for creating implementation master's theses;
4) Model evaluation tools;
5) Monitoring system for people participating in the project on the open labor market.

In my presentation and in the article, I will present a full description of the model in the testing phase and after implementation. I will also present an evaluation report prepared after the project and proposals for further development of the model, among others o the possibility of writing team master's theses and connecting the promoter with the tutor.

Keywords:

Master's implementation work, career, development, commercialization.